i don't know what will happen at the debates. >> governor romney is a good debater. i'm just okay. >> the soft performance has gotten so soft it's almost evaporated. but while almost everyone seems to be muting enthusiasm in trying to undersell new jersey governor chris christie is taking a different tack. overselling with gusto. >> come thursday morning, the entire narrative of this race is going to change. we have a candidate that is going to do extraordinarily well on wednesday night. when we get to thursday morning george, you're going to be shaking your head saying it's a brand new race with 33 days to go. >> governor christie right in the sense that romney needs to change the dynamic of the race. a new "washington post"/abc news survey find 5s 5% of voters think the president will win the debates compared to 31% who believe rom wil win. romney adviser tell "the new york times" they're aiming to make the president come off as condescending or smug. that characterized obama's notable gaffe during the 2008 primary when hillary clinton was asked what she would say